Fair lead for excavators



Oct. 10, 1933. M FYKSE 1,929,417

FAIR LEAD FOR EXCAVATORS Filed Sept. 2, 1932 IN VEN TOR.

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Patented Oct. 10, 1933 w wlswns T NT,

FAIR LEAD FOR EXcAv ToRs fMitchell L. Fykse, South Milwaukee, Wis., as signer to Bucyr'us-Erie Company, South Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application September 2, 1932. Sierial'NoQ63L478 "10 Claims. (oust-190) Myinvention relates to' new and useful improvements in 'fairleadsfor excavators, and has particular application to the means for guiding the drag-rope upon the winding drum.

In excavators of this general character, it is impossible for the bucket to beat all times in such a position with respect to the drag-rope winding drum, as to permit of a straight pull at right angles to the axes of said drum. -It is therefore essential that means be provided for correcting the angular displacement of the dragrope before it is wound onthe drum. Accordingly it is one object of my invention to provide a simply constructed fairlead, which will guide a drag-rope both vertically and horizontally, "so

' that the rope, as it winds upon the drum, shall at all times be quite approximately perpendicular to the axes of the drum.

It: also frequently becomes very desirable to change the front end equipment of a dragline excavator, as, for instance, to substitute a longer boom and a smaller bucket, or to convert the dragline excavator into a drag shovel, by substituting a diiferent boom, with a handle carrying a' dipper; ,In such cases, the change in the of the drum will, however, change the direction of that portion of the drag-rope which is between thedrum and the deflecting sheaves. In fairleads'a'sheretofore constructed, the angle between the planeof the deflecting sheaves and the horizontal plane is fixed and unalterable; so"

that the rope reaches thedeflecting sheaves in the correct direction only when the size drum is used for which the particular fairlead has been de-' signed. If the diameter of the drum ischanged, either by substitution or by lagging, then when the rope is payed out from the drum, -there 'will be a tendency of the rope to run oh the deflecting sheave, which will causequite excessive frictional .wear of the rope against the sides of the rope groove on the sheave. There will be a similar excessive friction when the rope is being wound upon the drum.

A furtherobject of my invention is to provide a fairlead that is adjustable to eliminate'completely this tendency of the rope to run off the deflecting sheaves, and the consequent rope wear. This I accomplish by providing a fairlead which is adjustable to bring the deflecting sheaves into correct position to receive and deliver the "rope, I for any desired drum diameter. i

In addition to these stated objects, I have worked out a number-of novel and useful details, which will be readily evident as the, description progresses. r i V My invention consists in the novel parts, and in thecombinations and arrangementsthereof, which are defined in the appended claims; and of which one embodiment is exemplified in the accompanying drawing, which is'hereinafter particularly described and explained.

Throughout the description, the same reference number is "applied to the same 'member or. to similar members; Referringto the drawing, it. will be seen that:

Figure 1 is aside elevationof my fairlead, as attachedto the front endof a dragline excavator.

Figure 2 is :.a-.front elevation, as indicated in- Figure l, by theline 22. I

'Figure 3 is a planview, partly in section, as taken'along theline 33'of Figure ,1. In the embodimentoftheinvention'shown'in the drawingpthe vertical guiding sheaves 11, l2,ar e journaled in a one piece'frame'13. This 80 frame includes a pair of side plates-14, 15, which are vertically disposed and horizontally spaced.

Theseside plates are connected'together at their back edges, "as at 16, and-said connected portion merges into vertically spaced arms having pivot ears, 17, '18; formed ontheir ends. These ears are adapted to straddle the attaching portion of an excavator base frame 19, which attaching portion also consists of a" pair of vertically spaced pivot cars, 20, 21. The'ears 17," 18 have: their openings vertically aligned with the corresponding openings in' pivot ears 20, 21, and a pivot'pin, 22, is inserted through the four al gned openings. This pin isprevented from motionwith respect to pivot cars 20, 21, by pins 23, 24, thereby ensuring. that wear shall rather be taken by pivot ears 17, 18, than by pivot ears 20, 21, as the former. are more easily repaired. Washers areplaced between pivot ears 1'? and 20 and between pivotears 18 and 21. Thus the fairleadmay readily swing horizontally.

Thevertical sheaves 11, 12, which are jour-' naled between the side plates-fl t, 15, have their axes 25, 26, vertically spaced and para1le1,axis 26 of the lower sheave being horizontally nearer the pivot pin 22, than the axis 25.

The inner faces of the side plates 14, 15, are reinforcedwith various stiffening flanges, as shown dotted in Figure 1. v For additional strength, corresponding flanges may bridge '110 across from one side plate to the other, at such places as do not interfere with the placing of sheaves 11, 12 or with the passage of the rope, 2'7. At the forward end of each of the side plates 14, 15, there are projections 28, which. serve as supports for, a .pairof rope guides, 29, whose function is to ,en'sur'e'the allowing of rope 2'7, in the plane of the sheaves 11, 12. When the bucket (not shown) is off to one side of the direction to which the fairlead is oriented, the-forward portion of rope 27 will bear against one of the rope guides 29, thereby swinging the fairlead about pivot pin 22, to the correct position. These rope guides 29 aresecured to the rope guidesupport 28, by bolts" 30, and are rigidly held spaced-apart the proper distance by spacers 31, which are held between the rope guides 29 and secured by bolts 32,

Exactly midway between axes and26 of the upperand lower guide sheaves 11 and 12, the side platesol, 15, carry'hubsBS; 34, through which pass aligned pins 35, 36,1which serve as pivots for a unitary, deflecting she'ave'yoke, 37. The yoke, 37 carries, rotatably mounted, two substantially horizontal deflecting sheaves 38, 39, of

equal diameter, these sheaves being pivoted on parallelpins 40, 41, respectively. a

Pivot pins 40 and 41 are so positioned in vyoke 37,*that the central plane of deflecting sheaves 38,539. passes through the axes of yoke pivot pins 35, and 36,: and so that the central plane of the two guide sheaves 11', 12 passes parallel to, and

midwaybetween pins 40- and41. r The upperpivot earl? of the-fairlead frame 1 5 13 has a rearward horizontal projection, 42, to 35 which-is 'removablyfastened, as by bolts, one of which is shown at 43, a yoke support, 44, the upper portion of which is removably fastened, as by bolts 45, to the under side of yoke 3'7. The

- yoke support, 43, isof such height that the rope the 'prolongation of the axis of 'fairlead pivot pin 22. Therefore any swinging of the fairlead about pin ,22 will. not cause .any material departure fromuthe correctconditionsstatedabove.

Whenitbecomes advisable, for any reason, to

changethe diameter of thedrum uponwhichthe drag rope 27yisiwound, as by different drumlagging, a different yoke support,of the height required by the new conditions, may easily and quickly be inserted in place of yoke support 44, or

. only one yoke support may beprovided, the different heights being obtained by inserting a filleror fillers, (not shown) between yokesupport 44 and they projection 42 upon which it is bolted. For the range of drum sizes at all likely to be required, it is quite obvious that the displacement of the point midway between the centers. of sheaves 38 "and 39 from theprolongation of" the axis ofpin ,22 will be in any, case so slight as to be quite negligible. V i i 1 Havinggnow described one form of my invention, it is obvious that I have provided, a fairlead that will in; all'cases deliver the drag rope .in correctrelation to the drag drum,,and i s-capale of compensating for any necessary changein the diameter of the drum.

I therefore claim:

1. A guide structure, comprising: a frame,'pivoted for rotation about an axis; a pair of coplanar sheaves, carried by said frame and disposed for rotation in a plane passing through said axis; a pivot, carried by saidframe; a member, disposed for rotation about said pivot; a pair of coplanar sheaves carriedby said. member, and disposed for rotationin a planepassing'through said pivot; and an auxiliary support for said member.

2. A guide structure, comprising: a frame, pivoted'sfor rotation about an axis; a pair of coplanar sheaves, carried by said frame. and disposed for'rotation in a plane passing through said axis; a pivot, carried by said frame; a member, disposed for rotation about said pivot; a pair of coplanar sheaves carried by said member, and

disposed for rotation in a plane passing through said pivot, the second pair of sheaves being so positioned that the point midwaybetween their centers lies substantially upon'the prolongation of said first named axis; and v ana.uxiliary support for said member.

3. A guide structure, comprising; aframe, pivoted for rotation aboutan axis; a pairpf coplanar sheaves, carried by said frame and disposed for rotation in a plane passing through said axis; a pivot, carried by said frame; amember, disposed'for rotation about said pivotgland a a pair of coplanar sheaves, whose plane'of rota; tion is-perpendicular to' that ofthe first named pair of sheaves.

1 4. A guide structure, comprising-j a frame, pivoted for rotation about an axis; a pairof coplanar sheaves, carried by said frame and disposed for rotation'in aplanepassing through said axis; a pivot, carried by said frame; a member, disposed for rotation. about said. pivot; a pair of coplanar sheaves carried by saidImembenfwhose plane of rotation is perpendicular tdthatfl'of the first named pair of sheaves; and an auxiliary supportfor said member; r r Y 5; A guide structure, comprising: a frame,lpivifs oted for rotation about an axisyapairlof mutu ,allyt'angent sheaves, carried. .by saidjram'; a I

pivot, carried by said frame, and positionedatlthe point of common tangency of said sheavesi a member carried by, andfrota't'able about, said pivot; and a pair of mutually tangent sheaves carriedby said member, and disposed for rota tion' in a plane passing"throughsaid'pivoti I 61A guide structure, comprisingiaframe, piv- 'oted' ,'for, rotation about an axis; a pair of mutually 'itangent sheaves, carried by said frame; ,a

pivot, carried by said frame, and positioned at the point of common tan'g'ency ofsaid sheavesja member carried "by, and rotatable about; said pivot; a pairof mutually tangent sheaves car'- riedby said member, and disposed! for'rotation in a plane passing throughsaidpivot; and an auxiliary supportjfor said' memb'er;

'7 A guide structure, comprising: a frame; pivoted for rotation about an axis; a; pair of-coplanar sheaves carried by said frame; 'a pivotjcarried by said frame; a member disposed for rotationabout-said'pivot; ancla pair of sheavesmarriedby saidmember, the plane of rotation ofsaid second pair of sheaves being perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the .firstpair. a

e 8. 'A guide structure, comprising: a frame, pivoted for rotation about an axis; a pair of coplanar sheaves carried by said frame; a pivot,

carried by said frame; a member disposed-for rotationabout said pivot; a-pair of sheavescarried by said member, the plane of rotation of said its 1,929,417 1 v a V 3 second pair of sheaves being perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the first pair; and an auxiliary support for said member. I

9. A guide structure comprising: an axis, a pair of rigidly spaced parallel plates rotatable about that axis; a pair of mutually tangent sheaves carried by said plates; a pivot, carried by said plates; a member disposed for rotation about said pivot; and a pair of mutually tangent sheaves, carried by said member, and so positioned that their point of common tangency lies substantially upon the prolongation .of said first named axis. I

10. A guide structure comprising: an axis, a pair of rigidly spaced parallel plates rotatable about that axis; a pair of mutually tangent sheaves carried by said plates; a pivot, carried by said plates; a member disposed for rotation 8t) about said pivot; a pair of mutually tangent sheaves, carried by said member, and so positioned that their point of common tangency lies substantially upon the prolongation of said first, named axis; and an auxiliary support for said member. v MITCHELL L. FYKSE. 

